April 21, 2011

In the debate over politics sometimes we’ll hear expressions like “Jesus is neither a Democrat nor a Republican.”

I’m John Loeffler at steelonsteel.com and here’s how it seems to me.

That’s sort of like saying I’m not a jelly doughnut. Maybe Christians in Germany could have said Jesus wasn’t a Nazi or a Communist either.

It doesn’t really sound as good that way, does it?

You see, your religious worldview does control the political views you have, as well it should. Religion determines how we think we should live, even if we don’t always live up to it.

And that’s the problem facing progressive evangelicals today: that they can’t decide which worldview is driving their train.

Are their biblical values driving their religious ones or are their progressive socialist values being painted to make them look like biblical ones?

Take the social gospel red letter evangelicals love so much. They tell us socialism originates in the gospel because we’re supposed to care about the poor and needy. Well we are supposed to care about the needy but you and I are supposed to do that so that our heavenly Father receives the credit.

But nowhere in the gospel does it tell us to take money forcibly from one person and give it to another person. The Bible prohibits spreading the wealth around that way.

In reality progressive Christians have imported ideas from Karl Marx and other humanist sources while trying to give them a Christian covering. That isn’t going to fly.

So don’t be fooled by the nice Christianese language used to conceal non-Christian ideas and values.

You have to know which worldview is in control, because Jesus said no one can serve two Masters.